The present invention relates to a multi-piece golf ball having at least a core, an intermediate layer and an outermost layer cover, and relates in particular to a golf ball ideal for professional golfers and skilled amateurs.
Golf balls with a three-piece construction that are hard on the interior and soft at the exterior have been proposed as solid golf balls to address the desires of professional golfers and skilled amateurs. One example is the golf ball having a hard interior and a soft exterior disclosed in JP-A 7-24085. However, because this golf ball uses a cover made of a hard ionomer resin and the cover is relatively thick, it has a poor balance between the distance traveled when hit with a driver (W#1) and the spin when played with a sand wedge (SW), in addition to which it has a poor scuff resistance.
Examples of golf balls having further improved spin, flight performance and durability relative to the foregoing golf ball include the golf balls disclosed in JP-A 2002-765, JP-A 2002-315848 and JP-A 2003-190330. However, these golf balls have a poor travel distance when played with a driver. Moreover, the golf ball disclosed in JP-A 2002-765 also has a poor scuff resistance.
Additional examples include the golf balls described in JP-A 2004-049913, JP-A 2002-345999, JP-A 2005-224514 and JP-A 2005-224515. Unfortunately, these golf balls lack a good balance between flight when hit with a driver (W#1) and spin control when played with a sand wedge (SW).
Thus, in the various golf balls which have been disclosed to date, improvements in flight and spin control still leave something to be desired. Hence, there exists a desire for a golf ball which achieves a good balance of flight and spin control and also has an improved durability.